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The Tallaght men’s second team’s merged for the season with DLSP’s fourth team to compete in Metro League Division 11 as both were short of players and were unable to field full teams for fixtures. “Tallasalle” as they became known as started off with a narrow win at home to Swords. They followed that up by winning a thriller against CYM before thrashing the Emerald Warriors. They then had a bit of a dip losing narrowly away to both Swords and leaders Clontarf.

They bounced back well though by winning another shoot-out against CYM before thrashing the Warriors again to seal their place in the final. Their last match was a dress rehearsal for the final when they hosted Clontarf and the game ended in a ten-all draw. Tallasalle have done remarkably well considering they don’t train together as a squad and often only meet each other for the first time when they’re in a team together.

Tallasalle coach Damien Deegan has marvelled at how the two teams have come together. “I suppose the most important thing about the merger was to give both sets of club players game time but something special has developed from this bunch. They play for each other and have buckets of resolve but also they have proven they have real talent. To make a final in year one was way beyond everyone’s expectations but is a credit and testament to all involved.”

Clontarf will be tough opponents in the final but Tallasalle will put it up to them.

Final details:

Metro League Division 11 final

Saturday 23rd March 2019

Clontarf v DLSP/Tallaght

Castle Avenue

Kick-off 3PM

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Thérapie Clinic is Europe’s No.1 Aesthetic clinic and offers an array of treatments from laser hair removal, anti wrinkle injections, dermal and lip fillers. They have come aboard as sponsors for the Tallaght women’s team this season and today the club presented a framed jersey to Lauren Nolan, the manager of the Thérapie branch in the Square. Honorary club President Jim O’Connor presented the jersey and several members of the women’s team also attended proudly wearing their new kit. The club looks forward to a long and mutually beneficial association with Thérapie and for more information on their services click here.

The club also would to thank Frames Etc in Clondalkin Village for framing the jersey at short notice and doing an excellent job.

Tallaght took on Bective away in their final regular league game of the season knowing that a win would guarantee them a place in the Metro Division 7 final for the third year running. After two minutes, Tallaght winger Rob Hudson took off on an electric run beating several defenders and was only denied a try by a fine cover tackle. However Tallaght recycled the ball and after several phases of constant pressure skipper Adam Nolan took a tap penalty near the line and went over for the try. Bective responded with a penalty to make it 5-3 but it wasn’t long before Tallaght were back on the score-sheet again.

It was that man Hudson again who was put away down his wing by a fine pass from Kevin Quinn. With the cover defence coming across he smartly chipped the ball ahead and when the ball took a wicked bounce that flummoxed the Bective full back, scrum-half Andy Rudd was there to take advantage and cross for the try. Hudson converted the try and added a penalty soon after to make it 15-3 to Tallaght. Bective hit back with some strong running from their centres and looked certain to score a try after they broke through the midfield but centre Padraig Jones got across to make a superb cover tackle in the corner and then Tallaght turned the ball over to end the threat. At the other end Hudson went agonisingly close to scoring again when he kicked a loose ball ahead but he couldn’t gather the ball with the line at his mercy and the half-time score was 15-3.

Tallaght were determined to keep the pressure on Bective to finish them off in the second half. Their pack was carrying strongly with Alan Moore, Ken McGovern and Al Sower making several powerful carries between them. Adam Nolan took a late hit off the ball that he wasn’t happy with but he responded in the best possible way. First he won a turnover on the ground and then he took off and showed great speed to break away and offload to Hudson who went over for the try his performance so richly deserved. This settled Tallaght down and five minutes later the game was ended as a contest when flanker Jack Russell powered his way through three tackles to get over the line for Tallaght’s fourth try which Hudson converted to make it 27-3.

To their credit Bective kept plugging away and they broke through off a scrum for a try to make it 27-8. But Tallaght hit back to confirm their dominance of the fixture with two more tries. First centre Padraig Jones put the seal on a fine all round performance by taking a great line and breaking away to score in the corner. Then full back Aaron Shanahan scored with the final play of the game after a fine pass from Daryl Keogh put him away. It made the final score 37-8 to Tallaght and guaranteed their place in the final. They now await the winners of the Seapoint v Clontarf match today to see who they’ll play in the final.

Tallaght coach Tom Leigh was delighted for his team. “This is the third year in a row we’ve made this final but this one means a little bit more because we came through a crisis when we suffered a heavy home defeat to Seapoint. Because of the way the fixtures fell, we had four weeks to stew on that setback but we used the time to really have a long hard look at where we were going wrong. We’ve put the hard work in to improve and got the reward with three consecutive wins under pressure. I’m delighted for the squad and everyone who came out to support us on a cold night. But this year we want to repay our magnificent support and take home the silverware and gain promotion to Division 6. It was a really good performance tonight but we can still get better. If we can keep our focus we’ve a great chance in the final.”

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After their tense win last week against AIB the Tallaght men’s first team now just need to finish the job.

They take on Bective in Donnybrook on Friday night under the lights in a game moved a day forward because of the Women’s international in the stadium the next day. A Tallaght win would put them in the final and then they will be hoping for a Clontarf win the next day away to leaders Seapoint to give them home advantage for that final. Kick off is 8PM in Donnybrook Stadium.

In the youths the Under 11’s travel to Greystones, meeting at 9.00am Sunday. All other groups have training in Firhouse as normal. Next week is the St.Patrick’s Day weekend so no training, but the youths will be participating in the Tallaght parade and everyone is ready to join in.

The Tallaght first team took on leaders AIB knowing they needed to win to have any chance to make the Metro Division 7 final for the third straight year. After two of the warmest weeks ever witnessed in Ireland in February, the weather took a cruel turn with high winds and driving rain making passing and kicking near impossible in the first half. AIB adapted to the conditions quicker and trapped Tallaght in their own half for the first twenty minutes with some smart tactical kicking. Tallaght’s discipline wasn’t great as they were constantly pinged for offside and eventually AIB took advantage to kick a penalty to make it 3-0.

AIB were testing Tallaght out wide but twice Simon Collie came to the rescue with textbook try-saving tackles. Tallaght finally got some territory off some good tactical kicking from Adam Nolan and Darryl Keogh. They tried to maul the ball over the line and when it was deliberately collapsed AIB had a man sent to the bin.

They went close to a try after the forwards had several pick and drives near the line but eventually they were turned over by AIB who were consistently good over the ball all day. Before half-time Tallaght came close again to scoring when Collie looked certain to score after a smart backline move only to be stopped by a high tackle. The ref played advantage and Tallaght got the ball over the line but the ref ruled the ball hadn’t been grounded and then forgot about the high tackle which merited a yellow card and blew for half-time with the score still at 3-0 to AIB.

Tallaght had the advantage of the wind at the in the second half and out-half Dave Clarke was pinging AIB back into their own half with a series of excellent kicks. Tallaght were dominating up front now and from a lineout won by the excellent Alan Moore the maul took off and rumbled ominously towards the AIB line. To everyone’s shock suddenly backrow Alan Sower broke away completely free from the maul and no AIB player noticed in time to stop him getting over the line for a try. It was his first try for the Tallaght first team and he celebrated wildly and was enveloped by all his team-mates who were delighted to congratulate him. The conversion was missed but now Tallaght led 5-3.

From the restart Clarke again put Tallaght in a good position deep in the AIB half with another fine kick. After some strong runs from replacements Jack Russell and Sean Hanlon, Adam Nolan threw a smart pop pass to put prop Tony McManus in for a try in the right hand corner to make it 10-3 to Tallaght. With only eight minutes to go Tallaght just needed to keep AIB pinned in their twenty two. However Tallaght’s discipline, which had been excellent since half-time, deserted them again as they conceded a series of penalties to allow AIB to advance up the pitch. Eventually Simon Collie was shown a yellow card for one team penalty too many and after more pressure AIB finally got over for a try in the corner with two minutes to go to make it 10-8, although the sideline conversion had no chance of making it in the wind. Tallaght got a massive break though when the restart was knocked on by AIB. Tallaght smartly wound down the clock with a series of pick and drives until Dave Clarke got the word from the ref that time was up and he kicked the ball out to signal celebrations from Tallaght.

Tallaght coach Tom Leigh was delighted with the win. “That was a performance of real character against a bloody good AIB side who’s been a credit to the division since being promoted last season. We lost to them out in DCU by two points and we edged it here today by the same margin so there was very little between the two teams. We’re not in the final yet though as we still need to beat Bective away next Friday to guarantee it. But I can’t praise enough the character we showed to keep going even though we were behind for a lot of the game. Our captain Adam Nolan got hurt but stayed on and played through the pain to make some key contributions. Ken McGovern recovered from a bad start in the lineout to be man of the match making several big tackles and always carrying the ball with real menace. Simon Collie didn’t score today but he saved our bacon with his incredible defence on a couple of occasions and was a constant danger with his counter-attacking runs.”

“But I was particularly happy today that the two try scorers today were two of our unsung heroes in Al Sower and Tony McManus. Al is a coaches dream in that he can play anywhere in the pack, front-row, second-row or back row. He’s picked where the team need him to play and he never complains. He just quietly gets on with it and puts in the same consistent performance no matter where he’s asked to play. Tony is a feisty character but one of the mainstays of the squad and he’s similar in that he can play all across the front row and puts in a real shift every time out. It’s lads like this that are the foundation stones of a good squad.”

“We got some great news during the week when a really promising young player Luke Brady joined the squad. He wasn’t playing today but he took part in the warm-up drills with the squad and I’m really delighted he got to see a match which showed how special being a part of Tallaght RFC can be. I also want to express thanks on behalf of the squad and the coaches to all the friends and family who showed up today to support the lads in weather than you wouldn’t put a dog out in. They all got drowned wet but stuck with the lads when it was not looking good. We can’t express how much their support means to us and we share the win today with all of our supporters on the sideline. We just need to win next week against a Bective side who won’t be a pushover and then we can look forward to another final.”

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On Saturday the Tallaght men’s first team have a crucial match in their bid to make the Metro Division 7 final for the third straight year. Third placed Tallaght take on leaders AIB in what is effectively a must-win game. Though Tallaght have two games left to AIB’s one, if Tallaght lose they will need to win their final game against Bective and hope at least two other results go their way. Tallaght lost by a point to AIB earlier in the season in a very tight match but if they can repeat the form of last week when they beat UCD well, they will have a great chance. Kick-off is 3PM in Tymon Park.

At the same time the Tallaght/DLSP combined team ‘Tallasalle’ play their final regular season Division 11 game at home to Clontarf, the team they are due to meet in the league final. The result won’t affect the final positions in the table and Clontarf will have home advantage regardless but Tallasalle will want to lay down a marker ahead of the final. Kick-off is 3PM in Kirwan Park.

In the youths there is training for Bisto’s ladies Friday at 7.00 at St Marys. The Under 9’s travel to Stillorgan for a blitz, meeting at 9.00am Sunday. All other groups have training in Firhouse as normal.

They went through multiple screenings over the last few months during mid term breaks and evenings after school. These have taken place in Energia Park in Donnybrook and in Greystones RFC. During last week’s mid-term break they had a squad session in
Energia Park and then a match squad was picked for an event in Barnhall later in the week.

One of the Bistos coaches Aileen McGovern takes up the story.

“Emma has been playing with the Bistos for four years and Abbie for three years. All five girls have put in a huge effort this year and have fully committed to training and matches which has paid off. They’ve also been completing rugby specific gym programs in their own time as well as keeping up with school and having part time jobs. I honestly don’t know how they do it all. They have become leaders on and off the pitch and have really inspired the younger under 16s in knowing that they too could make the Leinster squad some day. They put in 100 per cent effort while still having fun and enjoying the game.”

“Emma is also in the process of applying for American scholarships which is looking promising and another girl that didn’t get selected in the final 5 has been selected for an American scholarship. I’m extremely proud of all of the Bistos and this selection of the “fab 5” is just a small reward for all the hard work and commitment given by the coaches being myself, Barry Marron, Nick Hodges and our Bisto Mum Audrey Fanning. I would also like to mention the girls parents who are always there supporting and driving them places and making buns and sandwiches and generally being the extended support for the whole squad.”

Everyone at Tallaght RFC congratulates all of the Bisto girls and we look forward to seeing them playing for Leinster in the years to come.

Tallaght took on UCD looking to get back to winning ways after losing their place at the top of the table. They started well with the pack making constant ground before lock Alan Moore broke through for a try which Rob Hudson converted to give Tallaght a 7-0 lead. Tallaght were dominating possession and their backline was working well together to create chances out wide which were just failing on the final pass.

From a botched Tallaght lineout near the UCD line, the relieving kick was fielded by Hudson who counter-attacked superbly beating several tacklers on a mazy run. He was stopped just inside the UCD twenty two but the ball was moved to out-half Dave Clarke who broke through two tackles to go over for a second Tallaght try. Hudson converted to make it 14-0.

From the restart a misjudged pass put Tallaght under pressure but they held firm on their line with hooker Ken McGovern making several dominant tackles to see off the threat. Then after strong running from Simon Collie and Karl Segrave, Hudson went in for his own try in the left hand corner to make the half-time score 19-0. Tallaght kept going in the second half and Segrave raced away for a fine try to make it 24-0. Then the game went into something of a lull after that and Tallaght make some errors to leave themselves trapped in their own half. UCD eventually took advantage and got over for a try to make it 24-5.

But this stirred Tallaght into action and another excellent break from Clarke looked sure to create another try but his offload was knocked on. However it was only a brief respite as another good break from Collie put replacement winger Aaron Shanahan away for another fine try which Hudson converted again to make it 31-5. UCD scored the final try of the match to make the final score 31-10 to Tallaght.

Tallaght coach Tom Leigh was happy to get back to winning ways. “It wasn’t a perfect performance and there are things we still need to improve on but it was a big improvement and we played some great rugby. We now need to back this up in the next two weeks and beat AIB at home and Bective away and then we’ll definitely be in the final. To do that we’ll need the whole squad to pitch in and train well over the next two weeks.”

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On Saturday the Tallaght men’s first team are back in league action after a four week break. They are away to U.C.D. in the Metro League Division 7. Tallaght are looking to bounce back from two defeats on the bounce to make a push for the final and kick-off is at the slightly earlier time of 2.30PM in Belfield.

After winning in the cup last week, the Tallaght/DLSP combined team ‘Tallasalle’ are back in Division 11 league action this Saturday. They are away to Stillorgan-Rathfarnham looking to extend their winning run to four games ahead of next week’s meeting with Clontarf, who Tallasalle will also meet in the league final. Kick off in Rockfield Park is at 3pm.

In the youths there is training as normal for Bisto’s ladies Friday at 6.45 at St Marys. On Sunday the under 11’s have a blitz in Westmanstown meeting at 9.15. The minis are going to DLSP for the Kieran Burke blitz, meeting at De la Salle at 9.30. The under 9’s and older youths are training in Firhouse as normal.

Tallaght took on the bottom placed CYM needing to avoid defeat in order to avoid finishing bottom of Division 4 themselves. They had a bad start though when CYM took advantage of some poor tackling to score the first two tries of the game, converting one to take a 12-0 lead. However Tallaght got back into the game off the back of a great run from a scrum from Roisin Doyle who beat several tacklers in a run that took her deep in the CYM twenty two. Tallaght kept the pressure on and eventually Ellen Crotty forced her way over in the corner for a try to make it 12-5.

Tallaght were cooking now and almost straight from the kick-off full back Megan Fogarty broke out of her own twenty two and went the length of the pitch to score an outstanding individual try. Aisling Pyke made the conversion and now the game was tied at 12 all. CYM hit back with another try another some basic pick and drives but Tallaght countered again when a great run by Pyke put Fogarty away for her second try of match to make it 17-all at half-time.

In the second half Tallaght had a strong wind at their backs and they made smart use of it with Pyke pinning CYM back in their own half with several excellent tactical kicks. CYM tried to play their way out of the their twenty two but Tallaght’s defence led by Lisa Kennedy, Karen Corrigan, Angelika Gertz and Anne Kavanagh held firm. Eventually the pressure told and after strong runs by Vikcy Cobbe and Martina Fitzpatrick, Shauna Power popped the ball to Seana Greenhalgh who forced her way over for her first try for the club to give Tallaght the lead for the first time in the game at 22-17.

The game was still in the balance and CYM came hard at Tallaght again and looked like scoring but the awesome Ellen Crotty made a tackle to force the CYM winger into touch to save the day. Another dangerous threat from CYM was resolved by Lisa O’Connell making a smart interception and then carrying the ball to safety. Then Ellen Crotty was set free down the wing after some smart passing by Pyke, Kavanagh and Jacinta Purcell. Crotty showed her power to brush off a couple of tackles and then sprint clear to score under the posts.

The conversion was missed but Tallaght now had a commanding lead at 27-17 lead. CYM kept coming at them but Tallaght defended confidently and the game ended with Ash “The Smash” Pyke forcing a CYM player into touch with a typically emphatic tackle.

Tallaght coach Adam Nolan was proud of his teams recovery after a bad start. “Our defence wasn’t good enough at the start with too many people not committing to the tackle. But we bounced back and scored some great tries to be level at half-time. We used the wind really smartly in the second half and Aisling Pyke’s brilliant kicking put us in the right areas of the pitch.”

“I want to thank the whole squad who left everything out on the pitch today. It was incredibly tough to pick a player of the match as so many players put their hands up. Vicky Cobbe was relentless in her carrying and Roisin Doyle was immense in carrying, tackling and winning a couple of crucial turnovers on the ground.”

“In the backs Ash Pyke ran the show with aplomb and Ellen Crotty and Megan Fogarty both showed their quality with a brace of fine tries each. But our player of the match is Seana Greenhalgh who scored her first try for the club today. Seana only took up the sport this season and she’s worked incredibly hard on her game and this was definitely her best game for the club so far.”

“The league has been tough this year but it was great to finish on a positive note and now we’re looking forward to the cup which starts in a few weeks.”